Wednesday, October 14

The Sweet Smell Of Fall...

As I sat here yesterday morning editing photos, I had my music playing and my Fall candles burning. The rain was hitting the windows and it was nice to be at home with no place to go.

This time of year, if I am home, candles are lit.

My favorite this time of year:

Pumpkin Spice by Yankee Candle Co.

It just makes the house smell like Fall...

But for me, there is something else that marks the Autumn Season. Something that reminds me of my childhood, and that no doubt, will be a memory for my kids when they are adults.

When I was growing up, my mom would throw a bunch of spices into a pot to simmer on the stove. I love how it makes the whole house smell spicy and sweet. So when I moved away from home, I began the tradition for myself.

The best part is that you can customize the scent so that it smells just how you like it.

Every Fall I go through my cupboard and gather everything that would smell yummy if I were baking...

Almond Extract, Allspice, Orange Peel

Cinnamon...lots of cinnamon!

Whole Cloves, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vanilla Extract

Ground Cloves, Nutmeg

Whatever you imagine would smell good together, probably will!

(I like to do a lemon version too - makes the house smell fresh and clean with just enough sweetness added into the mix!)

Once you have picked your ingredients, toss them all into a pot...

Yesterday I went with Cinnamon, Allspice, Orange Peel, Cloves and a bit of Almond Extract...

Add water to your spices and simmer on the stove...

Word to the wise:

Many times I have started the heat at Medium High so that I could rapidly get the spices to a level where I could smell the aroma, always intending to be right there the moment it starts to boil so that I could turn it down to Medium Low.

I cannot tell you how may times (countless) I have walked away, only to remember just a moment too late that I needed to turn the spices down, and rushing back to find the pot boiling over. And let me tell you, this stuff is a pain to clean off of the stove!

So, while it certainly feels like a watched pot never boils, in this case it is a pretty small pot and if the heat is too high it will boil...quickly!

I have learned to start it on Medium Low and patiently wait for the aroma to fill the house.

Slow and Steady wins the race, right?

The level of the water will go down quite a bit, so just keep adding more water.